Fake police ring nabbed in Switzerland after stealing $35K in cash

GENEVA -- Swiss police said Friday they had arrested a gang of fake officers who stole tens of thousands of dollars from tourists this summer.

The gang, made up mainly of Romanian nationals, had been posing as officers in some of the top tourist spots in Geneva and neighbouring Vaud, police said.

The set-up was always the same: a plain-clothed member of the gang would ask an unsuspecting tourist for directions, only to be interrupted by two accomplices wearing police uniforms demanding to see his and the tourist's identification.

With the tourist's wallet in hand, the phony officers discretely pocketed the cash inside.

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Police said they had arrested seven members of the gang, which worked in two teams believed to be behind some 30 such cases in Geneva and five in Vaud in the past six weeks.